Electrical conduit fitting



July' 13 ,1926.

O. A. FREDERICKSON ELECTRICAL CONDUIT FITTING Filed March 5, 1925 Patented July 13, 1926.v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. L

OTTO A. FREDERICKSON, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, assreNon To 'r1-rn AMERICAN WIVREMOLDCOL, Ornen'rronn, ooNNECTICUT,` A CORPORATION OF'CONNECTICUT. -v

ELECTRICALA CoNnUrT FITTING.

Ap'piircauon Yinea nal-ch' 5,1325. Y serial No. 13,054.

`Metal conduits forconcealing andprotecting electric wires that are run upon the Y outer surfaces Vof walls and ceilings are comshapedV capswhich are applied to thebase strips.f NThese/bases and capsl arefurnishedv in standard lengths Vand while all the bases monly made of base stripsk and` channeln are usually thesame cross sectional size the caps are of different heights, depending upon whether they arewto' cover two ormore wires, and the caps, regardless of their height, are shaped toV lit theV same bases. Metal Vmoldings or conduits ha-ve also been made of lengths of one-piece channels of ditferent heights. Itisirequently necessary to connectV such conduits with boxes or with pipe ends orsimilar `structures,andthisiir vention relatesto fittings for thatpurpose'.

It is such conduits and fittingsbepractically unobstructed in VOrder that the wires may bev freely pushed or ishedthrough the conduits, also that there; be no openings between the .outer faces of the caps and the fittings which wouldy expose the-wires rand admit dirt,A dust may be attached to a box or pipe and a firm,

secure and well grounded connection may be made with aconduit end, which fitting is so constructed that it may be used with a cap or channel of small size Vwithout leaving any opening between the outer face of the cap and the fitting, or may be used with a cap or channel of large size without offering any obstruction to the passage of wires through the interior of the conduit.

This object is attained by providing a thimble with amale thread and a nut by which the fitting may be secured to a box,V or with av female thread for attachment to a pipe. The thimble at one end has a forwardly projecting tongue that is designed to vmake firm and sure connection with a con-V duit, and` it has a thin web partially closing the opening through lthe thimble at the tongue end, which web is left in place when the fitting is used. with a conduit of small size but is broken away when the fitting-is used with a conduit of large size.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1.,

i plate.

Vessential that the passage through the base strip, Y Y

If used with a one-piece channel 26,

a viewlooliing at one end of a box connector.

tor.. Fig. 3 is a view' of thel other end of the box connector. Fig.V 4 shows a section of the box connector. ig. 5 vis a view of* one endY of a," pipe connector. FigjG shows a side `view of thepipe connector. ,Fig 7 is a view of the other Vend of the pipe connec-y tor. Fig. 8 is a section of the pipe connec tor. Fig. 9 sh'owsoneform of tongue plate thatk may be used with either, connector. Fig. 10 is a view of another Fig.y 11 is a section of afitting connected with the end of a twofpi'ece conduit having a small cap. f Fig. 12 is a section of' connected with a condult having a a l.fitting large c ap. Fig. 13 is a section of a conduit with the small cap containing two wires'.kk ,F 1g. 1 4V is a section ofga conduithaving a large cap and containlngfour wires. F 1g.;-

15 is a transverse section of a singleconduit showing it attached to a pipe connector.

. The box connector illustrated has a thim- `ble 15v witha male thread on which turns a nut 16, For connecting this form with a box the'threaded section is thrust through an opening and the wall of the box clamped between th'e flange 17 and the nut, as will be readily understood. The pipe connector thimble 18 has a female thread by means of which the fitting may bek screwed upon a pipe, nipple or circular conduit.

At one end of these thimbles is av plate 19. This plate may be set into the end ot' the thiinble and the'edge yof the hub formed over the edge of the plate. Extending foutwardly from theedge of the plate is a tongue 20 which is designed to be form oftongue thrust under the base strip 21, with its edges between ther bottom ofthe base strip4 and the iii-turned edges 22 of the. cap 23 thatl is fitted upon if Vused with a two-piece conduit. the tongue is merely thrust into the base of the channel, as illustrated in F ig. 15. The opening through the plate is normally the same size and shape as the cross sectional area of the opening in a small cap or a small channel so that when the tongue is thrust under the 'base strip or into vthe channel for connecting the fitting with the conduit there will .be no opening into the passage for the wires from the outside of the smallk cap, and there will be no obstruction in the interior, as illustrated in FigL 11.

The plate is scored as at 24 so that the Web 25 may be easily twisted out or broken away and thus leave no obstruction through the interior when t-he fitting is to be connected with a channel of large size or a conduit having a large size cap, as illustrated in Fig. l2.

The tongue may be blanked from the metal on the outer edge of the plate as illustrated in Fig. 9 and then bent upward, or the tongue may be punched from the interior of the plate as shown in Fig. 10 and then bent down.

This invention avoids the necessity of providing two or more sizes of connectors, for one size of connectors may be used with channels or caps of large or small size. rThe construction enables the installer ot the system` to connect the parts so that there Will beV no opening into the itting exterior of a channel or cap of small size or no obstruction in theinterior when the fitting is used with a large size channel or cap.

The invention' claimed is l'. AAn electrical conduit fitting comprising a thinibl'e having an axially extending tongue at one end shaped to engage a conduit', and a scored web extending across a section of the opening through the thimble at the tonguek end, said opening normally being o't' a size and shape of the cross sectional area ot a conduit with which the iitting is to be`v used and said opening'when the web Vis removedbeing of the size and shape of' the cross sectional area of a larger sized c'oi'iduit.

2; An electrical conduit fitting compris` ing a thimble having means for attachment to a' receptacle, a tongue extending axially from the thimble, a plate xed to the tongue end of said thimble, said plate having a scored section that closes part ofthe opening through it7 said opening normally being otl the size and shape of the cross sectional area of a; conduit with which the fitting is to be used, and said opening when the scored section is removed being of the size and shape of the cross sectional areaot a` larger sized conduit.

3. An electrical conduit iitting comprising a thimble having means for attachment to a receptacle5 aplatev fixed to? the en'd of said thimble, said plate having a tonguebent tromy one edge and extending axially of the fitting, and aI scored web that closes part of the opening through the pla'te, said opening normally beingV of the size and`^ shape ot the cross sectional areaV of a conduit with which the iitting is to be used, and said opening when the Web is removed being of the size and shape of the cross sectional area' of a larger sized conduit.V

4. An electrical conduit litting comprising tubular thimble',` a tongue extending axially otthethimble at one end, and a' web that closes part of the opening through the thimble at the tongue' end, said web being weakened so' that it maybe removed to increase the size of the opening into the thimble, said opening when thev webis in place being of a size and' shape of the cross section of a small conduit, and said opening when the web' is removed' being ot the size and shape ot a large conduit.

OTTO A. FREDnRrcKsoN. 

